BC Hydro Hydroclimate Monitoring Network

BC Hydro

British Columbia

Hydrometrics and Field Services

NHC manages the routine and corrective maintenance of 75 of BC Hydro’s climate, snow, and hydrometric stations. The stations are in three regions across the province, the majority in remote areas requiring helicopter access. In addition to the day-to-day management of the network, NHC has undertaken investigations to improve data quality and accuracy. NHC’s investigation into the methodology used to measure Snow Water Equivalence (SWE) resulted in the discovery of a five percent underestimate of SWE due to the use of a glycol (anti-freeze agent) mixture in the instrumentation that had been calibrated assuming pure water. The identified bias exists for the entirety of the historic snow record. NHC has also been developing a total precipitation gauge with a heated rim that prevents ‘snow capping’ of the opening. Snow capping occurs during winter storms and can lead to significant under-catch of precipitation. The heated system will melt accumulation on the rim and prevent the gauge from becoming covered.

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Related Projects

NHC has provided various hydrotechnical services throughout the permitting, design, and construction phases of AltaGas’s three Northwest Hydroelectric Facilities: Forrest Kerr, McLymont, and Volcano. The focus of our services has…